Locals Voice Skepticism About TSPLOST at Wilkerson Town Hall

After a presentation and question-and-answer session on the July 31 TSPLOST vote at a town hall hosted by Rep. David Wilkerson (D-Austell), several South Cobb and West Cobb residents voiced their skepticism of the Transportation Investment Act and its accompanying one-cent sales tax.

Former Powder Springs Councilman Tom Bevirt told residents Monday that they need to be “skeptical” of the penny tax.

Those pushing it have at least $6 million to “inform you, and that’s kind of a polite word,” he said.

“So you’ve got to be a little bit more skeptical of this,” Bevirt said.

Two dozen or so were in attendance at the town hall meeting.

Wilkerson said the meeting was a follow-up to , when many had questions about the TSPLOST. Also there to explain the issue Monday was Faye DiMassimo, director of the Cobb Department of Transportation; Daniel McDuff, the department’s deputy director; Michael Paris with the Metro Atlanta Voter Education Network; and Cobb state Sen. Doug Stoner.

Bevirt told the crowd he wanted to present “the other side of the story” from what they had heard from the officials, noting that he will continue to on his Patch Local Voices column.

Two of his main arguments were that the use of as a transportation option are being ignored, and that the federal-funding portion of TSPLOST probably won’t happen. The Marietta Daily Journal reports that the federal portion is 12 percent.

A video of Bevirt discussing these issues is attached.

“(I am) trying to be evenhanded with this,” he said, “but when I see five people up here selling the same thing, I feel that I’ve got to be able to come up and give you the other side of the story.”

Near the beginning of the meeting, Paris touched on the discussion that the tax will continue on forever—something he said isn’t true.

“And when we reach that (10-year point), it’s over. … It cannot be carried forward without another referendum and another vote of the public,” Paris said.

The Marietta Daily Journal reported that community activist Lisa Cupid, who is running for Cobb District 4 Commissioner, said she was concerned that the TSPLOST would jeopardize future local SPLOSTs.

DiMassimo said the county will soon begin to do its five-year update of its transportation plan, and that those with concerns should get involved.

“What you need to do when we start that process … is you need to be actively involved,” she said. “Talk to us about those things. Let us analyze it as a whole.”

Continuing on the topic of bus service, Stoner noted how if the TSPLOST is voted down, GRTA public transportation service could be canceled. The federal money allocated to it is about to run out, and Georgia will also cease its input, he said.

“The state had made it clear, though I disagree: They will not put money toward the express bus service, and there is a chance the express bus service will be discontinued,” he said.

But with the passage of the TSPLOST, he added, GRTA will continue and could even possibly expand.

If the 1 percent sales tax increase is approved in July by the 10 metro Atlanta counties involved, it is expected to bring in about $7.22 billion over 10 years. Of that, $6.14 billion will go to 157 regional projects, while the rest (15 percent) will be given to local governments based on population and road mileage.

Mableton and other areas of unincorporated Cobb are expected to receive about $3 million and $13.3 million, respectively, of the $17 million raised annually for the county, and will be able to use the money at their discretion for transportation projects.